


The Case of the Graphic T-Shirt

by CoffeeWithConsequences



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: FANbruary, Fluff, M/M, Next Big Thing HGTV Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 18:06:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13552737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeWithConsequences/pseuds/CoffeeWithConsequences
Summary: Changes in Eames' body and Eames' wardrobe leave Arthur out of sorts.This is a silly fic written as a love letter toearlgreytea68and herHGTV verse, for FANbruary 2018.





	The Case of the Graphic T-Shirt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [earlgreytea68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgreytea68/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Next Big Thing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3349583) by [earlgreytea68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgreytea68/pseuds/earlgreytea68). 



After Eames’ dad had his heart attack, Eames started to exercise more. He didn’t mention it, and for a while Arthur didn’t even notice. Eames was no longer depending on the physical nature of his job to keep him in shape, but was spending time in their small home gym, running on the treadmill and lifting weights. Half the time he did it in the middle of the night, but he did it regularly.

Eames’ body changed fast. He didn’t seem to think much about it, but Arthur saw the increased muscle definition almost immediately. He wouldn’t have expected it to be the case, but his heart quickened every time he thought about it. Eames had always been built bigger than he was, even though they were the same height, but each day he seemed to get bigger, and it turned Arthur on terribly. Just when he thought he couldn’t want Eames more, he did.

There wasn’t a lot of time to do much about it, unfortunately. Eames and Arthur were still careful to schedule “A+E” time, but it wasn’t as much as either of them would like. Eames had work in Los Angeles for a while, and then Arthur made a couple of upstate house hunting trips on which Eames was too busy to accompany him. They kept in close contact, as they always had, but every time he saw Eames after a few days or a week away, Arthur’s surprise at his husband’s bigger, more muscular body intensified.

Then came the t-shirts. It started with a package from a fan, presented by a smirking Luisa. “You’ll like this one,” she told Eames, tossing it to him over the covered table. 

Eames opened the envelope with interest, then held up the garment for Arthur to admire. “Oh, darling, look at this!”

It was a red t-shirt, “#armes5eva” emblazoned across the front in black font.

Arthur laughed. “That’s great. You should wear that for filming.” He hadn’t thought much of it, when he said it. But that started it.

Eames did wear the t-shirt for filming. It fit very close to his newly defined body, the sleeves tight around his biceps, the chest clinging to his pecs. The sight of him in it made Arthur swallow hard and count the hours until they could go home. He’d seen Eames in t-shirts before, on occasion, but this one fit differently, calling attention to every new muscle. It helped that their hashtag was stretched across Eames’ chest.

Much as Arthur enjoyed seeing Eames in the t-shirt, the fans enjoyed it more. When the show aired, Twitter exploded, lust and laughs pouring out over it. It was odd, as many more overt fashion choices from Eames had gone unnoticed, but everybody loved it. #EamesInTees and #TeesMeEames started to trend.

Over the next few weeks, gifts of t-shirts for Eames began to pour in. Some were customized hashtag shirts, like the original. Others were shirts advertising other things the fans thought Eames would like, including a Gossip Girl t-shirt and one that said “Got Cake Batter?” Some were more traditional, from souvenir shops all over the world. There was one from Wall Drug, one with a picture of Mt. Rushmore and the captain “Classic Rock.” There was the classic I Heart New York.” There were t-shirts from college and high schools and even day cares. There were construction company logos and restaurants and a few strip clubs. Eames loved every single one of them. 

Since he loved them, Eames started to wear them. It wasn’t a surprise--his sartorial choices being what they were in general--but something about it bothered Arthur. At first, he thought it was just him being judgemental about Eames’ clothes, and that he needed to chill out. When Eames came out dressed in a bright green t-shirt asking “Guess What?” and showing a picture of a chicken with an arrow pointing to its ass, Arthur swallowed his criticism. When Eames chose “My boyfriend is hotter than your boyfriend” to wear on a filming day, Arthur just sighed.

Much as he tried to push his feeling about the t-shirts out of his mind, though, Arthur’s irritation with them didn’t go away. He went from disliking them to hating them, and took to tearing them off a shocked and thrilled Eames as soon as they got in the door. When Eames called him on Skype from California, a t-shirt with the familiar California bear and star logo stretched across his chest, the first thing Arthur said, before “hello,” was “take that off.”

It came to a head one day when Eames came out for breakfast wearing a t-shirt with the Fraggles on it, grinning and leaning over to Arthur for a kiss. Arthur grabbed the fabric from where it was hugging his skin and pulled it away. “I hate this.” He felt like a dick, but he had to say it.

“Not a fan of Fraggles?” Eames asked, reaching for his tea.

“Not a fan of those fucking t-shirts,” Arthur answered. He’d started it, he might as well see it through.

Eames gave him a confused look. “Really?”

“Of course really!” Arthur stared at Eames. “Why would you think I would be?”

Eames grinned, but it was a bit uncertain. “Well, you seem to be enjoying stripping them off as soon as we walk in the door?”

Arthur nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want to look at them anymore.” He knew he was being unfair, so he tried to temper it. “I’m sorry, Eames. It’s not up to me what you wear. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He was reminded of the beard incident and how he’d felt after that.

“No, darling, not at all.” Eames came closer. “If you don’t like them, I’ll stop wearing them. They’re just shirts. I don’t care.” As if to prove it, he stripped the Fraggle shirt over his head and tossed it across the room. It landed on the coffee pot.

When Eames approached, Arthur reached out instinctively, fanning his fingers over Eames’ muscled chest. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” Eames murmured, his face in Arthur’s hair. 

“It wasn’t up to me,” Arthur said, distracted by Eames’ skin under his fingers. “Not my call what you wear. Besides, it’s weird that they bother me so much when they rest of your horrible clothes don’t.”

Eames pulled back just enough to look into Arthur’s eyes. “Is there something else going on?” he asked, searching. “Because you’re right, that is odd.”

Arthur shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s just…” He tried to figure out how to say what he was feeling. “You have this whole new body. And I’m not used to it yet. I like it. I…” he trailed off, embarrassed. Eames waited patiently for him to continue, and eventually he did. “I really, really like it.”

Eames grinned. “I’m glad.”

Arthur continued. “But then you start wearing these tight t-shirts, and...everybody sees it.”

Eames laughed. “Arthur, are you telling me you want to save my Grecian perfection for your eyes only?”

Arthur gave him a playful shove. “No. It’s not that. It’s just...they’re already used to it.” He gestured to his phone, lying on the counter. “The fans, on Twitter--they have long conversations about every one of your muscles under every one of your stupid t-shirts. And I don’t even know them yet.”

Eames looked thoughtful. “We’re not spending enough time together,” he said, finally. 

Arthur didn’t argue. He hadn’t put it together until he’d started talking, but it made sense. He and Eames hadn’t been spending long, slow days in bed. Though they’d had sex, he hadn’t taken the time to explore every new angle of Eames’ body, and he didn’t know the changes as well as he’d known the old shape. It was alienating, and he was jealous. Jealous of the fans, and even jealous of the fucking t-shirts. His face grew hot.

“Don’t go into your head, darling,” Eames murmured, pulling Arthur flush against him. “This is easy to fix.” He reached for Arthur’s phone on the counter and pushed buttons with one hand, keeping Arthur held against him with the other. “Hello, love,” he said. “This is Eames. Arthur and I aren’t going to be able to film today. Something’s come up.” He was quiet for a moment, then said, “no, we’ll be fine. It’s not a big deal.” Another pause. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

When Eames put the phone down, he met Arthur’s eyes again. “We’re going back to bed now,” he said. “And you’re going to take as long as you want to map out every inch. And then we’re going to do that same thing tomorrow, and the day after, and as long as you’d like.”

Arthur grinned. He knew he should argue, that they should go to work, that they had a filming schedule to keep. But he didn’t. “And the t-shirts?” he asked.

“I’ll bin the bloody t-shirts,” Eames replied. “Anything you say.”

“Maybe you could keep a couple,” Arthur said, smiling. “Just, you know, for around the house.”

Eames smirked. “Yeah,” he said, grabbing Arthur’s hand and pulling him toward the bedroom. “Maybe I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please come visit me on [Tumblr](https://coffeewithconsequences.tumblr.com/) or read the rest of my fic here at [Archive of Our Own](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeWithConsequences/works)!


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